All posts tagged Dave Grohl

Breaking your leg onstage mid-performance is no laughing matter, but for Dave Grohl, having a sense of humor always helps.

The Foo Fighters frontman broke his leg while on tour in Sweden last month, forcing the band to cancel a string of shows as a result. But they were not about to miss the 20th anniversary celebration of their debut album on July 4, so it just mean Grohl had to get a little creative.

The singer-guitarist was up for performing at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Saturday night, but he just needed to make one minor adjustment: Since he had to remain stationary, Grohl did the show seated in a “Game of Thrones“-style chair of grandeur (pictures of the elaborate throne were subsequently posted to the band’s official Facebook page – see below). Read More »

The bizarre antics continue in the third week of James Corden‘s tenure as host of CBS’s “Late Late Show.”

On Monday night’s episode, Corden invited a professional artist’s model to come on the show in order for his guests – “Foo Fighters” frontman Dave Grohl, “Backstrom” star Rainn Wilson and “Furious 7” actress Jordana Brewster – to participate in a sketching party. Even though Jonathan, the model in question, had 30 years of experience, the “Late Late Show” guests probably weren’t expecting to have to draw an elderly fellow with a long, silvery beard and long, silvery hair to match. Read More »

Last night’s “Daily Show” stuck to the traditional formula for the most part: Poking fun at political news (this time around, it was the Senate’s allegedly unqualified ambassador confirmations) and then welcoming a famous person to talk about his latest project (Dave Grohl, “Sonic Highways“).

But at the top of the show, host Jon Stewart couldn’t ignore the familiar-sounding national news that was just beginning to make the rounds at the time of taping.

Yesterday, a grand jury in Staten Island, New York, decided not to indict a police officer in the July death of an unarmed African-American man, Eric Garner.

The grand jury’s decision sparked outrage among Americans, many of whom are still reeling from recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, and Stewart did not hold back his own thoughts and emotions as he opened the show. Read More »

Last night, HBO and iHeart Radio broadcast The Concert for Valor, a four-hour live Veterans’ Day tribute to our nation’s military. The show featured performances by musical A-listers such as the Black Keys, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J, Zac Brown Band, Rihanna and Eminem.

While rock vets like Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl stuck to solo acoustic sets, heavy-metal gods Metallica took the opposite route, delivering an epic 20-minute performance at Washington, D.C.’s National Mall. The band played three of its biggest hits: “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Enter Sandman” and a full, near-nine-minute version of “Master of Puppets.” Read More »

The Foo Fighters have set one monster of a challenge for themselves – topping their epic cover of Black Sabbath‘s “War Pigs” over the next four nights on “The Late Show With David Letterman.” Pulling out all the stops, the rock band invited country-folk star Zac Brown to share the stage for the inaugural performance of their weeklong “Letterman” residency.

The four-guitar lineup of Brown, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, not to mention Taylor Hawkins‘ impassioned drumming and Nate Mendel‘s steady bass line breathed new life into the 44-year-old heavy metal classic track, although Brown’s distinct twang wasn’t necessarily the correct fit for a reimagination of Ozzy Osbourne‘s original vocals. Grohl, however, nailed his verse with just the right blend of grit and intensity. Read More »

Let the week of Foo Fighters begin. In anticipation of the veteran rock band’s upcoming eight-part documentary series, HBO has now released an extended trailer for “Sonic Highways,” which premieres this Friday, October 17.

The doc follows the Foo Fighters as they record eight new songs in eight different cities, each episode highlighting the cultural influences and local musical legends that give the city its particular voice (Cheap Trick‘s Rick Nielsen sits in with the band in Chicago; Preservation Hall Jazz Band appears in the New Orleans episode).

Directed by Dave Grohl, “Sonic Highways” is not only, according to the Foo Fighters frontman, “a love letter to the history of American music,” it also captures the production of the band’s forthcoming eighth studio album – you guessed it, it’s called “Sonic Highways” – set for release on November 10. Read More »

The Foo Fighters up the ante in the ice bucket challenge by posting a dramatic 3 minute video that pays homage to the scary movie “Carrie.”

In the video, Dave Grohl gets doused with icy, cold water in a scene that is reminiscent of the prom scene in the Stephen King film when the character is hit with pigs blood. Grohl challenges King, Jack Black and John Travolta before donning a prom-queen tiara during his creative spin on the ALS ice bucket challenge. The challenge program has gone viral over the last several weeks. Read More »

More on Jay Z, Solange and the elevator: Beyonce, Jay Z and Solange formed a united front after elevator footage of Solange engaged in a physical altercation with Jay Z was leaked online. The three musicians called the incident that resulted in at least one employee being terminated a “private matter that has played out in public.”

In an exclusive statement to the Associated Press, the trio states, “As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident. But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it,” the statement said. “Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.” Read More »

Settling into his role as the music industry’s man about town, Dave Grohl today gave the keynote address at the South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, a speech that’s previously been delivered by Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Smokey Robinson.

In remarks that included at least 40 seemingly scripted f-bombs, he reminisced about his formative years–inspiration from Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein,” his first Sears guitar, tutorials from a punk-rock cousin, dropping out of high school to tour–and the liberation of DIY music. He also recounted Nirvana’s origin story, including the Kurt Cobain mission statement to be “the biggest band in the world,” and the identity crisis the band’s success brought. Read More »

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.